When Cameron Limes (’21 Comm.) learned NBC Nightly News and Dateline NBC anchor Lester Holt would be coming to the 2020 Murrow Symposium to receive a lifetime achievement award, the then-junior began emailing the dean “like every week,” asking if he could get five minutes of Holt’s time. Limes had a show on Cable 8 and wanted Holt to be a guest. “I always saw NBC as a golden standard,” Limes says.
The symposium was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Limes found another way to connect with his role model. The broadcast news major from Puyallup gave his résumé to his dad, a chief pilot at Alaska Airlines, who used to work with Holt’s now-retired brother. Limes’s dad asked Holt’s brother if he would forward his son’s résumé to Holt, who emailed the journalism student in early 2021 while Limes was attending class online. “I left class,” he says. “I couldn’t pay attention after I saw that.”
(Courtesy Cameron Limes)
Their email exchange led to a video call and, in advance of the 2021 Murrow Symposium, Limes “started bugging the dean again.” He got to participate in a fireside chat with Holt. And, when Holt was on a reporting trip later last spring, Limes connected with him at Sea-Tac during the unveiling of Alaska’s “Our Commitment” plane, featuring the images of Black children, grandchildren, and mentees of airline employees—including Limes. There, a producer invited him on a shoot at KING 5, Seattle’s NBC affiliate, and helped him connect with a recruiter about an entry-level NBC job in New York City.
While visiting family back East, Holt gave the recent alum a tour of Rockefeller Center. Three months later, in October 2021, Limes started working remotely on NBC Nightly News as a desk assistant. He moved to Manhattan in December. “I didn’t expect to be here for probably 5 or 10 years,” he says. “The fact that I’m here is pretty amazing. I feel super blessed.”
Some day, Limes says, “I hope to see myself on screen, maybe in Lester Holt’s position. I’d love to anchor or write for SNL or The Tonight Show.” He also wants to mentor future Murrow grads, the way Holt helped him. “I would love to be able to make an impact on students down the line.”